Low Back Pain (Coursework Sample)

Low Back Pain
Name
Institution
3 differential diagnoses
Diagnoses include: lumbar spinal stenosis, herniated disc and lumbar facet joint syndrome.
Specific exam techniques that should be used when examining this patient and the rationale behind some of these assessment technique and information supplied
One exam technique is palpation. The rationale for palpation on the patient’s lower back is to check for warmth, paraspinal muscle spasm and bone pain that is localized. The second exam technique is inspection of the lower back. The rationale for this inspection is to detect deformities, scoliosis, decrease or increase in lumbar lordosis or atrophy of the muscles and paraspinal muscle spasm. The last exam technique is moving the lumbar spine. This is done to identify if the lumbar spine’s motion lies within normal ranges.
Ordering of x-ray films or other imaging exams
X-ray films should be ordered so as to get a good view of the anatomy of the lower back.
"Red flags" of low back pain
Some of the "red flags" include: history of malignancy, age, unexplained weight loss, recent infection that is significant, recent illness that is serious and history of prolonged steroid use (Kahan, Miller & Smith, 2009).
Managing the patient with low back pain
One way would be to limit the patient’s bed rest. 2 to 3 days of limited bed rest may be beneficial for relieving the patient’s symptoms. However, encourage the patient to remain active by engaging in less stressful exercises such as walking and jogging. Such exercises aim at retraining the back muscle and the deep abdominal muscle. Another way would be to prescribe Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). These drugs will help to relax his muscles and reduce his back pain.
Promotion strategies important for this patient and WHY
One health promotion strategy would be to educate the patient. The education would aim at making the patient understand the anatomical strength of the human spine, pain perception, prognosis of low back pain that is favorable and decreasing the fear of pain(Dagenais & Haldeman, 2012). In the end, the education will help the patient to better manage low back pain after fully understanding what it is. Another strategy would be to engage the patient in progressive endurance exercise and fitness activities. The health care provider should consider engaging this patient in moderate to high-intensity exercise since he only suffers from low back pain without generalized pain ((Wilson, Gormley & Hussey, 2011).
Complementary therapies that might...